Draft Teams Sports National League Picks Athletes Play

A "draft" is a way to decide which athletes should play on which sports teams. A draft tries to make the process fair. Without a draft, the "wealthiest" (richest) team would simply "buy up" (buy all of something, leaving nothing for anyone else to buy) all the best players, and the teams in the "league" (the group of teams that compete against each other) would not be "competitive" (at the same level, able to play games against each other). The draft makes this "scenario" (situation) impossible.

The rules of the draft "vary" (are different) for each sport, but in general the drafts allow teams that "do poorly" (do not win very many games) in the "season" (the period of time when games are played each year) to make earlier draft picks, so that those teams can be more competitive in the next season.

The "NFL" (National Football League) was the first sports league to use a draft, beginning in 1935. Today, the NFL uses a draft with a "reverse-record order," meaning that the team with the worst performance picks first, and the team that won the "Super Bowl" (the championship game) picks last. The NFL draft is held in April and is "televised" (shown on TV).

The "NBA" (National Basketball Association) and the "NHL" (National Hockey League) use a "draft lottery," so the first picks are "granted" (given) to teams "randomly" (by chance; without a plan).

"MLB" (Major League Baseball), "MLS" (Major League Soccer), and the "WWE" (World Wrestling Entertainment) also have drafts each year.